Reality Kisses Like You
by The Creatress
Summary: An accident gives Severus amnesia. He's trying to adjust to his life on the Light Side, but Death Eaters convince him he's spying for them. Severus is relapsing between good and evil...Problem: He'd woken up to find himself married to a certain muggleborn
1. Awaken to Blindness

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot of this fic, which would be in the books if I owned them, wouldn't they?

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Creatress: Okay, guys, I'm freaking out!! This is my first attempt at a _serious_ SSHG!!

Mione: I'm a little scared…

Sev: Pft. I'm not.

Creatress: This is it, guys. There's no banter, no potions puns, no Mac N Cheese –

Sev: Thank God for small favours.

Creatress: Even Eileen Prince doesn't have a cameo!

Mione: Aw.

Sev: (rolls eyes).

Mione: I like her…

Sev: You say that now…

Creatress: Hold my hands, guys, here goes…

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Summary: An experiment gone wrong results in Severus Snape waking up with retrograde amnesia. Having lost eight years, he tries to gain them back while trying to adjust to his new life, but Death Eaters are trying to convince him that his new life is all a charade, and Snape finds himself relapsing between the light and the dark… This wouldn't be as problematic as it would be if he wasn't married to a muggleborn.

**Reality Kisses Like You**

Chapter 1 Awaken to Blindness

Severus Snape forced his eyes open and almost snapped them shut against the blindingly white glare of his surroundings. He scowled and opened them fully, though and quickly recognized the setting of a hospital. What in the hell…?

He quickly caught sight of Albus Dumbledore, who was sitting near the bed, and staring at him, afraid to speak. "Albus," Severus said, his voice even, and yet questioning.

Upon hearing his name, relief washed over Dumbledore's face. "My dear boy, thank Merlin, you remember me!" he said with a smile.

Severus frowned. "Why wouldn't I remember you?" he asked.

Dumbledore looked at him. "I shall tell you in a second… But first, let me ask you a few questions. Where do you work?"

Severus stared at him. "Do you suspect me of being an imposter or have I suffered a brain injury?" he asked.

Dumbledore blinked, and then smiled, softly. "At least we know your personality is in check," he said. "I do not accuse of you being an imposter. But where do you work?"

"Hogwarts," came the prompt answer. "But it's summer now."

At this, Dumbledore's face fell. "Alright…" he muttered. "What year is it?"

"1999."

Dumbledore closed his eyes, and murmured something inaudible.

Severus frowned, starting to feel a little nervous and irritated. "Albus? What is it?"

Dumbledore opened his eyes and looked worriedly at the younger man. "No, Severus, it's 2005."

A small seed of panic unfurled at the back of Severus' mind and this unsettled him as much as the fact that he just realized that he had amnesia – he would've thought that he might have reacted more… strongly. Outwardly, he showed no emotion, but fixed Dumbledore with a calm, but demanding gaze. "What happened?" he asked, calmly.

Dumbledore sighed. "For the past five years, you've been working at the Ministry of Magic's Research Facility as the head of research team that studies dark arts and potions. One of your experiments went horribly wrong and resulted in…" Dumbledore gestured around them. "This."

Severus stared at him, waiting for him to go on, but he didn't. "Well…?" he prompted.

Dumbledore looked at him. "We figured it may have been best if I be here alone with you when you woke up… You see, that potion was a new invention and nobody knew what state of mind you would wake up in or in what time frame. Some people - " At this point, the headmaster glanced at the closed door before turning back to the potions master. " – would really like to see you, but I must first ask you a few questions to see if you remember anything at all… Do you understand?"

Severus nodded once, jerkily, still not feeling anything.

"How many out of the past six years have you been a spy?"

Severus drew up a blank, and suddenly wanted to know what was happening in the war, but seeing that the younger man had no answer, Dumbledore continued.

"Is the war still going on?"

Nothing…

"Do you remember the potion you invented for Remus last year?"

Severus thought it must have something to do with transformations, and the idea must have shown because Dumbledore looked at him earnestly.

"Severus?" the headmaster asked. "Do you…?" Severus shook his head and Dumbledore nodded before asking, "Where do you live now?"

"I've left Spinner's End?" Severus suddenly asked. I should be surprised, he thought. Why would he leave?

Dumbledore nodded. "You've moved to a gorgeous house on Zeus Road, north of London…" he trailed off, and saw that Severus was taking in this information with the same calm inertia that he had woken up with. "What award did you win six years ago?"

Severus shook his head, indicating that he didn't know.

"Order of Merlin, First Class," Dumbledore said, with a hint of something like a proud smile, but Severus, once again, looked at him as if this information was completely irrelevant to him. "Do you remember where Shacklebolt recently moved to?"

"No."

"Do you remember the battle at the Forbidden Forest?"

Growing a little tense, Severus shook his head again. "No."

"The capture of Gregory Xavier?"

"No."

"The murder of Rudolphus and Bellatrix Lestrange?"

"No."

"Do you remember Plan Winchester?"

"No."

"Do you remember the words 'Light the silver torch?'"

Growing mildly frustrated – but not as frustrated as he should be, a voice stated in his head – Severus scowled. "No."

Dumbledore looked tortured, and closed his eyes before opening them again and giving Severus a look that screamed 'Please remember!' "I can only think of one other major event in your life in these past six years. The most major." Dumbledore paused and gave him a begging look. "Severus… What's your wife's name?"

Severus – finally – felt something then, but couldn't place his finger on it. He narrowed his eyes at the man in front of him. "My… What?"

Dumbledore closed his eyes again, as if trying to block out what was happening. "Don't react badly," he said and for a second, Severus was unsure of whether he was speaking to himself or not.

"Albus," Severus suddenly said, a warning in his voice.

Dumbledore looked at him. "I'm trying to think of the best way to tell you."

"What possessed me to…" Severus stopped here, and then scowled a little. "Marry?" he finished.

Dumbledore found himself finding comfort in the fact that the younger man didn't say the word contemptuously. Thinking about the answer to the question, he smiled, softly. "Remus and I believe it is love," he said and ignored the annoyed and exasperated expression on the Potions Master's face at that point. "Your other witnessing wizards for the ceremony – Kingsley, Alastor, Rubius, and Stephen – all said that it was probably a deep sense of lust and unexplainable possessiveness, but, in secret, they all agree with Remus and myself." He didn't even fidget under the scathing look he received from the younger man then. "Severus, please…" he muttered.

"Please what?" Severus snapped. "I would never! Who - ? Who was the woman who stupid enough to - ?!"

"Severus," Dumbledore said, his voice firm. "She is a very bright woman – one of the greatest doctors I've ever known. I would be dead if it wasn't for her." He stopped and smiled a little before sweeping his beard to the side and tugging down on his robes a little to reveal the side of his neck. A scar, about two and a half inches in length, ran horizontally around it. "She gave me this... Saved my life." He sighed, and looked at Severus with a serious expression on his face. "She is the greatest thing that's ever happened to you, Severus." He ignored Severus' less than positive reaction and continued. "She is a kind, sweet, gentle, strong, beautiful woman, and if you wanted me to tell you about her, I could go on forever."

"Tell me something negative about her and I may be less irritated!" Severus snapped. "I've woken up with amnesia and you're going on about how perfect some woman is?!"

Dumbledore only smiled, softly. "Very well, then." He chuckled dryly. "She has a bit of a hard time keeping her head in chaotic situations. She can not lie on the spot to save her life. She is young; twenty-two years your junior - " Neither man reacted to this; such age differences were not uncommon in the wizarding world. "And has been through so much in her years." He stopped and his lips quirked a little. "You've complained about her cat." This drew an irritated sound out of the potions master ('Great, she has a cat,' he thought, shuddering inwardly.). "You've also commented on her hair," Dumbledore mused. He stopped for a second. "You never liked it when she cried," he suddenly said. "It _irritated_ you." This Severus could believe - he found crying to be not only unproductive, but a sign of weakness. Dumbledore glanced at the door. "She was just crying now… She's probably still doing it in the hallway." He looked at Severus, who stared evenly back at him. "Whether you get your memory back or not, please don't shut her out of your life, Severus – you married her for a reason." Severus didn't respond. "Promise me that you will give her a chance."

Severus didn't say anything for a second. And then… "I promise."

Dumbledore nodded, thankfully, knowing that Severus was a man of his word. He smiled a little, bracing himself, not believing what he was about to do. "You've also complained about her level of curiosity. Her thirst for knowledge and… retaining most of said knowledge." At this point he noticed Severus sit up a little straighter and look at him with a raised eye-brow. Dumbledore gulped a little, but also wanted to smile at the same time and turned away. "A few days ago... and many years ago, also, I believe... you deemed her an… 'insufferable know-it-all.'"

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Hermione physically withdrew into herself, feeling a little cold, although the hospital was wellheated and she was flanked on both sides by Remus and Tonks. Seeing her action, Tonks slipped an arm around Hermione and pulled the younger girl closer to let her head rest on her shoulder. Hermione glanced up at her with a grateful expression.

Hermione's face was pink, though not tearstreaked, because she'd kept wiping her tears away as fast as they came. Her amber eyes, however, were still red. Tonks ran a hand over her head comfortingly - the mediwitch's hair had come undone from the ponytail she had pulled it into at work, and it's curls, now simply quite curly only and not frizzy, hung around her shoulders and down her back.

She had been downstairs, doing regular clinic duty instead of the usual complicated diagnostics work she usually did, when Remus had burst into the exam room. He ignored the patient's indignant shouts and looked worriedly at Hermione as he panted, trying to regain his breath. Nobody could apparate into St. Mungo's and obviously, Remus had run all the way to the exam room. He looked at her with panicked eyes and gasped, "Mione... dark potion... Severus... accident..."

Remus worked at the MMRF as well, though he worked only in the Dark Arts Defense... His job mainly consisted of research and he sometimes worked with Severus in the development of the actual countercurses.

Remus sighed and thought about what had happened that morning... The werewolf had been sitting in his office, going over some notes when loud explosions rang out, coming from the Potions Department's lab, which happened to be a few doors down from his office. Remus had run in, helping anyone injured as the Potions researchers ran around the fogged room trying to subdue the potion. Most of the others who had been injured weren't badly hurt - they had just been thrown back by the sheer force of the explosion. As Remus hurried around and helping each of them, his eyes kept darting around the chaos, looking for the Potions Master, who was nowhere to be found.

Finally, Remus had crouched down to help someone up, when he saw a man, robed in dark colours with ink black shoulder-length hair, lying right at the foot of the potion that'd exploded. The fog was considerably clearer near the floor and Remus quickly crawled over to Severus and cast an "ennervate" on him. Nothing happened and Remus was forced to use the wingardium leviosa charm to lift him a bit and carefully get him out of the room.

All anybody knew about the potion was that it was supposed to cause the person it was splashed on to feel as if they were experiencing the Cruciatus curse... Something odd for the MMRF to be doing, but the real plan was that the development of this potion would hopefully lead to a potion that would help reverse the nerve-damaging effect of the Cruciatus. No one knew for sure if the Potions Master had experienced any pain - his face had twisted and he'd doubled over when he'd been splashed with the potion, but he hadn't screamed... Which wasn't a hint to anything because Severus had been one of the few Death Eaters that Voldemort had chosen to teach how to take the Cruciatus without screaming.

"Hermione, you look like you're about to collapse," Kingsley suddenly said, snapping Remus' thoughts to the present.

Hermione did look quite tired, but her fatigue was only physical - she could never go to sleep after knowing what had happened to her husband.

If she hadn't been so shaken up and scared, she would have examined him herself, but the head, Marcia Gouiliana, asked her to wait and let other doctors deal with the situation before giving her the next few days off to be with him.

She had spent the whole day at his bedside, holding his hand. As soon as she sat down and took his right hand into both of hers, she sadly felt a wave of familiarity wash over her. This had been her third vigil for him... It had also been the shortest and Hermione didn't know how to feel about this. Not that she either minded or enjoyed the wakeful nights, reading out loud to him, praying to God - one of the habits from her Muggle childhood that she never left behind - and softly begging him to be alright. It was just that after learning about the potion that he'd been injured with, she wasn't looking forward to learning about what damages he may have experienced... Especially because his condition might have been bad enough to be reason for everybody but Dumbledore to be absent when he woke.

All of a sudden, a woman with long blonde hair and misty gray eyes appeared in the hallway, followed by a blackhaired man with emerald green eyes. Both said nothing before pulling her into their arms and giving her a tight and comforting hug.

"Luna, Harry..." Hermione murmured in greeting.

"Are you alright, Mione?" Harry asked.

Hermione nodded and Harry hugged her again.

Luna glanced at the door of the private room Severus was in. "Why aren't you in there?" she asked.

Hermione shrugged and stiffeled a sob. "They don't know how he'll be when he wakes up..." she whispered. Her face crumpled up and Remus filled the Potters in on what happened. Just as he was finishing, the door opened and Dumbledore stepped out, quietly closing the door behind him.

The headmaster then looked over everybody in the hallway and his blue eyes lingered on Hermione's face before he turned to the floor. This was accepted by everybody as a bad omen - Dumbledore always met the eyes of whoever he was speaking to. "I have good news and bad news. I know you will all want the good news last, so here is the bad: Severus has amnesia." He tried to ignore the gasps that went around the group then. "Or, more specifically, what muggles call 'retrograde amnesia.' He has lost the past six years." He was aware of Hermione fall back into her chair and bury her face in her hands in distress and had to force himself to look at the positive. "On the bright side, however, he suffers no other brain damage and is fit to recieve visitors - Well, mentally fit, it's not that he _wants _to - " Dumbledore stopped as his lame attempt at humour died. The headmaster sighed. "It's better than what we could have hoped for." He finally looked up and met the eyes of the group before him.

The people in the hall were still looking at him expectantly. Finally Luna turned to Hermione, whose face was still hidden behind her hands. "Mi?" She asked.

Hermione quickly nodded. Her hands left her face to run through her hair and brush them back behind her shoulders. "It's alright..."

Harry walked a little closer to Dumbledore. "Let me get this straight, Al - " Harry started and Dumbledore smiled fondly at the nickname. Started by Harry and Hermione, everybody had taken to calling him that... Well, everybody except Severus, that was. The Potions Master had never been partial to broken names... But he always let Hermione call him "Sev" and as small as the gesture might seem, Dumbledore knew it to be large. It was strange, but Dumbledore had always counted on it as one of the signs that the Potions Master truly loved his wife. The thought made Dumbledore smile, a little sadly. Harry continued with his queries. "Snape thinks we're still in seventh year?"

Dumbledore looked weary. "Yes," he answered.

Harry blinked. "Does he... _know_...?" He jerked his head toward Hermione.

Dumbledore looked at the mediwitch and replied evenly. "Yes. Excuse me for a second, Harry." He walked up to Hermione and offered her a hand to help her out of her chair. Hermione took it and stood up, looking at him, anxiously. "I won't sugarcoat this for you, Hermione," Dumbledore said and her face fell. "He doesn't remember anything past June of that year..." The headmaster looked a little uncomfortable. "And your love affair started some time in late July, correct?" After recieving a jerky nod from Hermione, Dumbledore sighed. "It did however go better than I how I percieved it might," he mused. Hermione's eyes snapped up to meet his own and there was a flicker of hope in them. "I think he accepted the information, but it may take more time for him to accept you fully. We can only hope that his memory will come back. Perhaps seeing you will get the process going." Hermione eyed him curiously and Dumbledore smiled, encouragingly. "Perhaps you should see him first."

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After Dumbledore left, Severus had pulled himself out of bed and went to the adjoining bathroom, forcing himself to act and move in a controlled matter to contrast what was happening in his head. From the short walk from his bed to the bathroom, millions of thoughts and questions whipped around his head, occasionally two banging into and bouncing off one another, creating whole new questions and queries. His emotions were reacting likewise. It was funny - he felt so many contrasting emotions at once, all of them connected to different aspects of his last six years of which he knew next to nothing about.

The fact that he'd moved from Spinner's End seemed to be the one he was still indifferent with. He had hardly ever lived at the house and whever he was there, he never bore any kind of attachedness to it. On the contrary, he had always found himself complaining dejectedly to himself that the lab was too small for his research and the study was too small to hold of his books. The other rooms were just as small, but he had not cared because it had never mattered. He was just happy to know that his new house was more three times bigger than his old one and gave him an ample amount of work space.

During the six years, he had spent the first two - 1999 and 2000 - spying. According to Dumbledore, he had been found out in October of 1999, given away by Miss Weasley who had been captured and forced to give up his name in order to save herself. However - and Dumbledore himself wasn't quite sure of what had really happened - her capture might have been staged. The wizarding world still buzzed with rumours, trying to piece together whether Ginevra Weasley had been captured by Death Eaters or simply defected to the Dark Side. In any case, after his treachery had been discovered by the Dark Lord, Severus had gone back - this time, as a raven. As an illegal animagi, he had closely watched the goings on of the Death Eaters and reported back to Dumbledore.

Everything had come to a climaz at the battle of the Forbidden Forest, where the Death Eaters had planned to go sneak through to get to Hogwarts, which stood as a fortress and headquarters against the Dark Side. Snape had reported the plans to Dumbledore, who'd laid out an attack. Basically, when the Death Eaters entered the forest that August night of 1990, the Light Side was waiting for them. "Light the Silver Torch" was the command which told the Light Side to attack. A massive battle ensued at which Voldemort died... Or seemed to.

The curse that had finally brought down the Dark Lord was Severus' own Sectum Sempra. Done by the master who had developed it, the curse managed to slice from Voldemort's chest through to his back, leaving gaping holes in the Dark Lord's chest and torso. As Voldemort gasped for breath, the Boy Wonder, who had been beaten to inches close to death before the Potions Master had shown up at the scene, managed to raise his wand and murmur "Avada Kadavra." There was no green light, but the Dark Lord had led out a shallow breath and fell forward, body turning to ashes and ripped soul disappearing to the heavens. It was because of this end that Dumbledore still harboured a worry that Voldemort was not completely gone... There was no green light, so how could Harry have cast the Killing Curse to finish him off? Even if he had, why did Voldemort's body disappear? And if he hadn't, what had happened to Voldemort? However, after masses of Death Eaters had been captured and six pieces of Voldemort had been destroyed, Dumbledore had deemed the world safe... It was not a peaceful, calm 'safe' but it the was the kind of peace they had the night the Potters died and Voldemort disappeared. The Wizarding World could rejoice, but its leaders would need to keep an eye open.

Severus had listened to Dumbledore's story of the battle, decidely refused to show his feelings of joy and elation show on his face. To an extent, it was _over_...

And with it were his years at Hogwarts. He didn't teach anymore. After developing a potion that would keep Remus from transforming into the werewolf during the nights of the full moon, he'd been set... After the war, the product had been marketed for werewolves everywhere. Governements and individual werewolves had been clamouring to purchase them, and the millions that had rolled in were more than enough to make up his mind to leave. However, he missed having power to terrorize others and that was the only reason he'd accepted the post at the MMRF. Of course, the dimwits that the Ministry offered were quite different that the dunderheads of Hogwarts. "Apparently, after your first day, you declared that you'd already discovered something - an entire new level stupidity," Dumbledore had told him.

"Oh?" Severus had asked, stoically, not too amused.

"Well, yes," Dumbledore had replied. He looked at the Potions Master then. "That's what you told Hermione."

Ah... _Hermione_.

There was a topic that Dumbledore had steered clear of after Severus' initial reaction, which had been admittedly less than positive. Severus had wanted to ask questions, but he and the headmaster both knew that Dumbledore was probably not the one to be answering them. Therefore, Severus was completely in the dark as to what had actually happened between them, but he could intelligently estimate that whatever it was had been long, trying and complicated.

In any case, she was the only occurence of the past six years that he had mized feelings about. Every other major event had emotions associated with it that were labeled with neat little tags that said "happy," "sad," "frustrated," "angered," etc. Her, however - shock, disbelief, pride, joy, anger, and a bunch of others he was sure that not yet been discovered by mankind... No man can feel all of these emotions simultaneously, unless he is suffering from some kind of mental illness. And after his life, Severus would not be too surprised if he'd looked down on his right hand to see a metal bracelet around it with the word "CRAZY" in luminescent pink writing.

Severus sighed and pushed the bathroom door open. The lights instantly came to life and he looked in the mirror and did a double take.

He looked... different. Healthier. Actually, he looked none the worse for just having suffered from a dark potion.

His skin did not look sallow anymore, but it was pale, like it had been when he had been much younger. His hair was not oily or stringy, but actually wispy. It was a bit shorter, as well... Instead of falling below his shoulders, his hair barely grazed his blades.

His nose hadn't changed a bit. It was still hawkish, but he had always been fine with that. More than fine, actually. Not only did it suit him, but there was always that myth about men with large noses... The thought made him twist his lips in a wry smirk, which made him realize that he had a bad taste in his mouth.

He performed a quick "scourgify" and that was when he noticed his teeth. They were white. How in Merlin...? He had never been pleased with his teeth. He'd gone to all lengths to try to whiten them, but none of them had seemed to work. The yellow hue they'd had before had always made him feel unclean and old, both of which he really wasnt partial to being. Anyways, all attempts had been in vain and they'd failed one after another, until he'd finally grudgingly accepted his teeth as they were. Severus made a mental note to ask Albus what had happened.

His eyes were the same as ever... Cold, glittering shades of charcoal. His eyes had been what he liked best about himself, actually...

Deeming his appearance satisfactory (to say in the least) to face the world, Severus stepped out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him. He spotted the robes he'd been wearing over his black pants and black shirt at the foot of the bed. He picked them up and slipped them off when he heard a knock at the door. "Enter," he said, annoyed at having intrusion when he wanted to be alone with his thoughts for a while. Scowl firmly in place, he turned around, expecting to see Dumbledore, but instead met the eyes of a woman he instantly recognized as Hermione...

And Severus suddenly found himself wondering if she had kept her last name or taken his...

End of Chapter 1

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A/N

Creatress: Okay, I think that was a good start...

Sev: But there's no interaction between Hermione and myself...

Creatress: Yeah, but the next chapter starts off with it, so it all evens out...

Mione: This is going to be a long, dark fic, isn't it?

Creatress: Well... Um... Severus starts relapsing between the light and the dark, so... Yeah...

REVIEW!!! (Please? I'll give you a cookie:D)


	2. Begin Again

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot of this fic, which would be in the books if I owned them, wouldn't they?

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Sev: I didn't like that first chapter, actually, Mi and I never spoke to eachother!

Creatress: Hmm... Yes...

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Summary: An experiment gone wrong results in Severus Snape waking up with retrograde amnesia. Having lost eight years, he tries to gain them back while trying to adjust to his new life, but Death Eaters are trying to convince him that his new life is all a charade, and Snape finds himself relapsing between the light and the dark… This wouldn't be as problematic as it would be if he wasn't married to a muggleborn.

**Reality Kisses Like You**

Chapter 2 Begin Again

Time stopped as they looked at eachother. Severus quickly ran his eyes over her. She was quite different than he'd remembered, but also the same. Save for her hair being a little more tame, she didn't look much different. Her amber eyes, slowly becoming glazed over with fresh tears, were as mature as ever, but he remembered them as wide and frightened at some times, while being narrowed and challenging at others. Never had she looked at him with an expression of such confusion, loss, begging and... affection?

At this point, Hermione noticed that he was studying her and cringed inwardly before looking away, feeling as if she was an animal on display, being inspected and appraised. His eyes were cold, she noted. Hard shields drawn over the window to his soul - it was impossible to tell what he was feeling. It had taken her forever to get those shields down the first time...

Severus didn't know how to deal with this situation - all his years of spywork had never presented such a problem and therefore, had never prepared him to act in this scenario. His skills in the art of improvision seemed to have abandoned him as well. He almost exhaled the bated breath he'd been holding when Dumbledore entered the room after Hermione. As always, Severus didn't let the relief show on his face, but Hermione visibly relaxed.

The headmaster walked into the room, closing the door behind him. He passed Hermione and stopped in between them, stopping at an equal distance away from both of them. "There is no reason for me to introduce you," he stated. "You already know each other well. I know this must be difficult, but we can all move on a little quicker if you two stop acting like complete strangers."

Dumbledore turned and looked at Severus. The Potions Master had always been a strength to Dumbledore, but also a mystery, an enigma. Throughout the years, Dumbledore had never once doubted Severus' loyalty, but he would be lying to say that Severus fit perfectly with the Order... In fact, he would go as far as to say that Severus was never really on their side, but was more on a side of himself. Whereas most Order members were on the Light side because of their nobility, their want for truth and justice and good in the world, for the world, Severus was there because the Order's victory would yield the best future for him. He was there for himself, not for anyone or anything else and Dumbledore always worried about this. It wasn't that a man who only thought of himself would change sides quickly - Severus had seen and experienced too much, and both men knew that he would never fight for the Dark Side. It was just that it saddened the headmaster to think that the young man, who had grown up much too quickly, had his life set out before him and would spend it alone, in a shell, not allowing himself to feel for anyone or allowing anyone else to feel anything for him. What struck and shattered the headmaster was that the life Severus Snape had chosen for himself bore a striking resemblance to what Tom M. Riddle had chosen...

Truth be told, Voldemort had to hold the world's record for being the man who's most unhappy with his life. And just look at the destruction it he had caused himself and the world around him...

It was interesting - the kinds of changes a young girl can bring about in a man. The sole words, the presence of a young girl with the innocence of a small child and with a heart gold enough to be deemed fit for Gryffindor house can do so much... Even manage to squirm, impossible as it may seem, into the minds of some of the darkest wizards known to the world.

Even in Voldemort's case... During Harry, Ron and Hermione's second year at Hogwarts, the basilisk attacks were less serious than they had been fifty years ago. The occurances had been few and far between the second time around... However, they were directed not only at Muggleborns, but others as well - Mrs. Norris to name one. Tom Riddle had never bothered with creatures who never mattered to him, and it had been a little startling to the Headmaster when he had looked closely at this detail and the details around it. For all of his speeches about superiority and hatred toward anything Gryffindor, Riddle had targetted people the young Ms. Weasley had a problem with that year. It boggled his mind... Of course, it quickly fit in with Riddle's actions in the end. Instead of killing Harry and using his death to bring himself to life, Riddle had decided to do away with the girl he'd been with for the past year. Why? Because Ginny's innocent curiosity had gotten to him - her questions of why some were superior to others, of how he could hurt so many people without blinking, of how his own troubled past justified his actions today because the people he was hurting were not the people who had hurt him. And he couldn't answer - her questions had made him think. They had made him doubt his own morals... And that scared him. And Voldemort never liked to be the recipient of pity - he'd reacted angrilly whenever anyone showed any toward him. Which was why he did not know how to act when, on learning about his past - his time at the orphanage, his struggles in school, his family's reaction when they first met him - Ginny's response had been a far cry from pity. She had been understanding, even, having grown up herself as the youngest in a large family. And she was more affectionate of him than ever. And he had started to respond. He had started to grow fond of the girl. And this terrified him even more than the fact that he had second-guessed his own principles. The whole situation scared him enough that he decided Ginny would have to die... Dumbledore had watched Riddle grow up. Because of its magical properties, never before had Riddle dared harm the seventh of anything. Before he met Ginny Weasley.

It was this incident that Dumbledore had quickly thought of when he had first found out that Severus and Hermione's relationship had grown into a romantic liasion. Of course, back then, their relationship was purely physical, at least on Severus' part. He fully expected Severus to be rid of Hermione as soon as Severus felt himself develop anything besides lust for the girl. And Severus had. Tried, at least. The Potions Master had tried with all his strength to tear himself away from her because her love and his own feelings frightened him. When Dumbledore tried to talk some sense into him, Severus had talked back with brilliant excuses and reasons for leaving her... He was endangering her safety, she was too young and ignorant to know what getting into a relationship with a spy meant, he would probably be dead in a few short years if not months anyways... She was too kind, too caring, too loving. However, even after he had broken it up with her, he couldn't keep himself away - he wasn't noble enough to stand by his reasons, and Dumbledore thanked God for Severus' "selfishness" everyday... And so Severus and Hermione had succeeded and survived where Tom and Ginny had failed.

The question as it stood now was this: Assuming Severus doesn't regain his memories, could they do it all over again?

Dumbledore wished he could say the perfect thing at this moment to guarantee that everything will end well for the pair infront of him. But nothing came to mind. Finally, he settled for, "Hermione was quite worried about you."

"Indeed," Severus muttered, unable to take his eyes off of her. Hermione glanced up at him, a little timidly, and quickly looked away again.

Dumbledore sighed. "Severus, you have two options," he stated. "One, you can stay here and talk for a bit, and speak to Remus, Kingsley, and some other friends who're waiting out there." Dumbledore quickly saw that this option didn't appeal greatly to the Potions Master and he smiled inwardly. "Or, two, you may go back to your house on Zeus Road. Hermione can show you around, maybe jog your memory a bit, hm?"

Severus didn't have to weigh the two options for long. If he and Hermione were to stay here, it would be terribly awkward. Exactly what would they talk about? Also, he would have to talk to his friends, as well. Kingsley, he was fine with. Remus, he'd grown to tolerate. But he didn't even want to think about anyone else who may be lurking out there - this day had been bad enough, it was only reasonable to expect Dumbledore to have Dolores Umbridge out in the hallway. On the other hand, going home would ensure safety from overlyconcerned friends and family members and the house could be something he and Hermione could actually discuss. "I believe it's best for me to go home," he stated. "There doesn't seem to be a need for me to stay here, is there?"

Dumbledore simply gave him a "that-wasn't-amusing" look before turning to Hermione and, obviously just to spite Severus, asked her, "Well, Doctor Snape, what do you think? Is he fit and well to leave?"

Severus almost blinked - he just didn't know how to react to that.

Hermione looked startled and she actually ran her eyes over him for half a second before quickly nodding.

"Then I suggest you two leave," Dumbledore stated. "I must get back to Hogwarts, but please owl me immediately if you need anything." With that, he swiftly left the room, closing the door behind him, leaving husband and wife alone.

They stood quietly in awkward silence for a moment, and Severus was starting to get a little frustrated. He never liked wasting time - this was quite unproductive. He looked up at her. "Fancy leaving?" he asked.

Hermione nodded and looked up at him. "You don't remember 115 Zeus Road, do you?" she asked, softly.

Her voice was a little different as well, but Severus couldn't put his finger on exactly why... Instead he just shook his head. "I suppose you'll have to take me," he stated. He started walking toward the door.

When he was almost passed her, Hermione looked up at him. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"I thought we were leaving?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, but St. Mungo's own mediwitches can apparate in and out."

"Ah." He turned to her and held out a strong, steady hand.

Her small hand was quivering a little when she placed it in his, and Severus suddenly felt a small tingles run up his arm when her fingers grazed his. When he tightened his grip on her, she tightened back automatically... Severus suddenly had the inclination that she was reacting like someone who'd come close to losing something close to them and was afraid of letting go. The thought unsettled him some - exactly how close were they? He couldn't believe that he would let a woman get so close to him. Of course, there was always the explanation that although he mattered so much to her, the feeling wasn't mutual. Perhaps the majority of his witnessing wizards at his wedding were right and he felt nothing but lust and poessessiveness for this woman...

He eyed her amber eyes, flawless skin, curly hair, and feminine curves for a second... He could understand why he would feel that way. Now that her curls were a little more subdued, she suddenly reminded him of the subjects in Ancient Greek artwork. She was beautiful, but her beauty wasn't what one would deem "classic" but almost otherwordly, something that may have been found in the goddesses of ancient Olympus. He suddenly stopped short, wondering where that last thought had come from. He didn't know what he'd just felt then, but didn't quite dislike the feeling either...

All of a sudden, Hermione had apparated. The hospital dissolved around them and soon, Severus found himself infront of a large, white three story house with brown trimming, sprawling front lawn, and white picket fences. He instantly zeroed in on the fence and found himself detesting the very sight of them. A thought occurred to him about how cliched they were and he glowered dejectedly at them.

Hermione caught his expression, followed his gaze and bit her lip, trying to keep a small smile from forming. Severus, however, noticed quickly. "What?" he asked, sounding a little annoyed.

"You always hated the fence," she informed him, smiling.

"And I disregarded them when buying the house because...?" he asked, raising an eye-brow.

"You didn't," Hermione said. She suddenly looked a little nervous, but let a small smile stay on her lips. "I bought the house. You didn't want to come. You said you trusted my opinion - but the obvious truth was you found the process of househunting tedious. I warned you I'd do something like this..." Her eyes suddenly widened and Severus could practically see a lightbulb light over her head. She studied him for a second. "How do you feel about that house?" She nodded toward 117, which was right beside their own.

Severus looked at it and shrugged. "Nothing. May I ask why?"

Hermione's face fell a little. "It's nothing... It's just that Remus and Tonks live there."

Severus froze. "Excuse me?"

"Remus and Tonks. Our neighbours..." Hermione trailed off and, seeing the look on her husband's face then, hastily opened the front gate. "Let me show you around inside."

Severus forced the thought of Remus living next door out of his head and followed Hermione up the pathway to the house. When they entered the house, it became instantly clear that not only had he not helped her choose the house, he had not helped with the decor. This thought remained constant as she led him through the foyer, the sitting room, the living room, the kitchen, the dining room, the bathroom... Only hallway walls were white. None of the room were painted white, but some were painted in light colours, while othes were painted in bright, vibrat colours. He decided to voice this observation.

Hermione only smiled. "Your own private abode is a little darker," she said. Before Severus could ask her what she was talking about, she turned and pushed a door open to reveal a staircase going down. "Your lab," she stated.

Severus gave her a curious look before starting down the wooden staircase. As soon as it got to the basement, the hardwood ended to be replaced by large, dark blue tiles. When he reached it, the lights came on and he had to keep himself from gasping out loud. The lab took up the entire basement, and because the basement expanded for the entire length and wide of the house, it was _huge_. Several tables and countertops bore various potions, solutions, equipment, books, etc... The walls were entirly taken up with shelves that were full of books, equipment, ingredients and other things. Severus looked around in amazement. Even if he had bought half of this stuff in the last six years, he was amazed that he was still able to fit the other half inside his house at Spinner's End... He hadn't given that place enough credit...

"I take it you'd like to spend some time down here?" Severus turned around to see Hermione standing on the steps. Her eyes swept over the room and she smiled. "I can wait upstairs if you'd like," she offered.

Severus gave her small smirk. "If I stay and explore, I'd be down here all day," he stated. "Show me the rest of the house."

The second and third floors were just as colourful and well adorned as the first. The second last room they came to on the third was one where one wall and the cieling was made entirely of glass. The hedges that served as fences for the backyard came high enough to prevent the goings on in the room from being displayed to any of their neighbours, but nevertheless, Severus turned to Hermione and raised an eye-brow.

She smiled, a little proudly. "I had them put in," she said. "A little useless in the summer, I know, since we'd be outside anyway, but it's quite beautiful in the winter." She looked at him and smiled a little. "You liked this room," she said, and Severus couldn't disagree. Though the glass was a bit of a surprise, he seemed a little calm and relaxed in this room, while experiencing a feeling of wakefulness that one gets from being outside. "You liked to work in here sometimes," Hermione continued. "Reading, mostly." This made sense to him. It was something nobody else would have guessed about him, but ever since he was young, he liked working outdoors.

Severus suddenly noticed that the room was darker than it should have been... It was only almost four in the afternoon. Then he realized that heavy, dark grey clouds had appeared in the sky, blocking out the sun.

"Would you to have some tea?" Hermione suddenly asked. Without waiting for a reply, she went over to the glass coffee table and got on her knees behind it. There were three couches around it - threeseater, loveseat and the single. All were made of white wicker with firm blue cushions, which Severus found comfortable when he sat down across from her on the threeseater.

Hermione had conjured a tea set and was now pouring English breakfast tea into his cup. Before he could reach for the cream and sugar, she picked up the cream and started pouring. He got ready to tell her when to stop, but she was a step ahead of him and stopped at the right moment. It turned out that it was also unnecessary for him to voice the amount of sugar he wanted (a _lot_), because she seemed to know that, too. She ran a spoon around in it a few times, took it out and put it down before picking up the saucer and cup and wordlessly holding it out to him.

If there had been any suspicions that this whole day had been a practical joke, they disappeared here. No one on God's green earth knew (or would even have suspected) that Severus Snape liked that much sugar. He took the cup from her. "Thank you," he said.

Hermione nodded, and murmured "You're welcome" before changing the tea to peppermint and pouring herself a cup. She took it black, Severus noted when she simply picked it up and took a sip. She then got up, sat back on the loveseat and stared at her tea, sipping once in a while.

Severus took a small gulp of his tea and found that it tasted perfect. She had made it the way he preferred to have his tea, after all. He suddenly eyed her. He never would have tagged Hermione as a "domesticated" wife. Truth be told, he was quite surprised she knew how he liked his tea. He'd never thought about it before, but had he envisioned Hermione's future six or seven years ago, he would have pictured her as fulltime career woman. She obviously wasn't a housewife - she never could be with her ambition and skills, but her level of ... wifely skills, for lack of a better description ... were a little out of the blue.

Then again, who knew what had happened over the last six years?

Things got a little uncomfortable then. They drank in silence for a while and Severus found himself wondering why she had stopped the tour when she did. There had been one more room to go - he knew because he'd seen the door -

He realized then why she'd suddenly stopped. The master bedroom was the only room that they hadn't come to yet, so it was obviously that last room. He understood perfectly why she was anticipating finishing off the tour. Going into that room would be even more awkward than sitting in silence could ever be... He suddenly wondered where he would be sleeping tonight.

"Does any of this look familiar?" Hermione suddenly asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Severus shook his head. "No." Oh, how he wished it would...

"Oh." Hermione turned her attention back to her tea.

Severus looked around the room. It was spacious, but emptier than the other rooms, but the simplicity suited it, somehow. His eyes caught on a magnificent wooden piano a few meters away from where they were sitting. She played? He thought about asking her, but suddenly felt a yawn coming up... He was quite tired. This didn't surprise him - he'd just come out of unconsciousness with retrograde amnesia to learn quite a bit of interesting information, some of which was that he may have killed an extremely powerful, evil wizard and married his former student. After spending more than an hour with her, they still hadn't gotten to the topic of _them_... How does one approach such a topic?

He leaned back against the couch and closed his eyes, willing himself to think about it. But before he could start formulating plans for getting in control of his life, he felt Hermione gently take the tea cup out of his hands. The calm, darkness of sleep then washed over him.

xXxXxXxXx

Hermione cleared the teacups away and studied him. He looked just as he had this morning when she'd woken up to him...

The biggest and most heavy issue that Hermione was worried about was the fact that he was in the mentality of seeing her as a student. Gods, if his amnesia had allowed him the memory of what happened just one month after graduation, they would have passed a milestone. But now... He had probably felt nothing for her back then... How was she supposed to make him see her as she was now? In his mind, she'd been his student for the past seven years... She had, during her final year, developed strong feelings for him, but had never acted her emotions. He had come onto her only a month after graduation, yes, but...

She never thought that he'd felt anything more than lust toward her. Part of it, she believed, must have had something to do with being a spy - he had let out a lot of anger and frustration on her in the form of sex back then and she had been saddened to think it was nothing more than that for him. The thought had always depressed her and she'd belittled herself, feeling like a cheap whore... But she'd always told herself that it was alright, she wasn't cheap - her love for him, no matter that it was one-sided, made it alright. However, he had returned her feelings... She was overjoyed... And surprised - literally. She remembered her wedding day, and sitting in the bride's dressing room being _surprised _when the full weight of what was special about that day settled in on her. It was a pleasant surprise, however, when she looked around and thought, 'Oh, God, we've made it.'

But she had to face the truth now - a lot of it was pure _luck_. It was luck that she'd gone to the library late that night, it was luck that she couldn't fall asleep that night, it was luck that she had gone to Grimmauld Place two days earlier than she'd originally planned... And that was just her side of the story. It was luck that he'd gone to Grimmauld Place instead of Spinner's End that night, it was luck that he'd gone to the library and not his own room, it was luck that he hadn't gotten himself _killed _that day... Oh, sure, many would call it "fate," but was there really such a thing? Life was supposed to be dictated on things that happen by ones own choices, not fate or destiny, or why bother doing anything? Simply sit and watch the sky go by because whatever that should happen will take place. But, life just didn't work that way... It seemed to, up until this morning...

Hermione had a bypass to perform at 11:00am and nothing before then, so she'd gone to the front door with him to say good-bye. She'd gone to kiss his cheek, but he'd pulled her into an embrace and they'd started making out against the wall, flanked by the front door on one side and the coat stand on the other, before she decided he was going to be late. He'd called her a 'wretched tease' and told her that if she was going to set a man on fire, she should plan to put it out. Unfortunately, that statement brought to mind what she had done to him during her first year and she'd burst into giggles. Her husband had given her a strange look that had made her laugh harder - she'd never told him what she'd done. He'd waited patiently, giving her irritated looks, until her giggles died away and then she finally promised him that she'd have something special for him that night. Satisfied, he stayed virtuously still as she kissed his cheek a second time, and finally left... And now she may never see him again.

Which goes to show what eventually happened to things dictated by fate. It was like what happens when a man with the annual income of $30,000 strikes it rich at a casino... That money never lasts. Nothing by chance ever lasts...

The thought saddened her and she weighed the challenge facing her. Assuming that he never regained his memories, she would have to attract him to her all over again... There was a problem in this as well.

She had no idea what she had done that first time to draw him to her. She hadn't done anything, truth be told - throughout their whole relationship, she supposed she'd taken her parents' advice and "been herself." Throughout the dreams and nightmares of their relationship, she hadn't done anything. She hadn't taken advantage of a situation, she hadn't set anything in motion, she hadn't been cause for anything - she'd simply gone with the wind. It was always him who had initiated everything - he had come onto her, he had broken up with her, he had gotten back together with her, he was the one who'd asked her to marry him. Their relationship was like a ballroom dance - he was the one who led and she followed. After six years - or even thirteen when counting her school years - of being the follower, the one who did what he told her to, how was she suddenly supposed to take charge and take the lead?

xXxXxXxXx

Remus eyed the potions lab with a calculating gaze. The potion had done a lot of damage to the place... In the chaos, other solutions had been knocked over, causing a mess on the tables, the floor, the walls. There had been a bit of fire, as well. A large portion of the floor and wall beside it looked burnt and singed.

No one predicted that the potion would explode. It had completely unexpected and people were still in shock - if a potion was going to explode, Severus Snape would know about it. He had never predicted wrongly before. Ever. The calculations had shown that there wouldn't be an explosion either. Researchers had gone through notes, the calculations, the directions, the ingredients in an attempt to figure out what went wrong and all turned up with nothing.

Perhaps an extra ingredient had been added by mistake without Severus' knowledge? He shook his head to clear the thought. No, that couldn't be it. As dimwitted as Severus made his team out to be, they weren't idiots. Besides, Severus was very watchful over his research. Nobody would have been able to add anything without him catching it.

Remus' eyes zeroed in on the cauldron. After the potion had been collected into vials, the cauldron had been left to the side so that police may investigate it if they needed to.

Remus didn't know why he was so obsessed with figuring out what went wrong. Something didn't sit right with him...

"Remus?"

Remus turned around to see Kingsley Shacklebolt. "Kingsley," he greeted him with a smile before looking at him questioningly. "What are you doing here?"

Kingsley shrugged. "I thought I might come by to look at the crime scene." He eyed the werewolf. "And you're here to...?"

"Same," Remus said. He turned back to the room. "I keep thinking there's something about the cauldron."

"Why?" Kingsley asked, walking past him and into the room. "Werewolves' intuition?"

Remus laughed a little and followed him. "What do you think?"

"The cauldron's a good a place as any to start investigating," Kingsley said.

"Investigation?"

Kingsley scrutinized the cauldron. It sat, almost innocently. "Well, in a sense. I mean, I'm not here on ministry duty."

"You're not?" Remus came up to him and stood in front of the pot. "Why are you here then?"

Kingsley gave him a look. "Well, I don't know if you've heard this, but it's a very interesting story. So, one of my friends, a former spy and decorated war veteran, is an absolute _genius _at what he does. But one day, he just blows something up and almost gives himself brain damage. Case closed," he drawled, sarcastically.

"Yes, I understand what you're saying," Remus said. He put a hand on the cauldron's rim and leaned over to look closely. "But, look, it's been cleaned out. What are you hoping to find?"

Kingsley shrugged. "I don't know. But you agree that something's off?"

Remus nodded, suddenly feeling tired. "Yes, I'd thought so, too."

Kingsley looked around. "What time does this place close?"

"I have to leave by 6:00."

Kingsley glanced at a clock on the wall. "We should leave then. I don't have the authority to even be here in the first place." He started walking toward the door, followed closely by Remus.

When the lights went out in the room, tiny little fragments, dusted all over the inside of the cauldron, gleamed.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Severus from his sleep and he heard the piano and the heavy rain against the glass walls and cieling in the background. He lay still for a few minutes, trying to place where he had heard this song before. He couldn't, but it was familiar to him. He rose a little and looked around the room, not quite sure who or what he was looking for, but he found Hermione sitting at the piano. Her fingers flew across the keys, eyes fixed on the music infront of her. She wasn't aware that he'd woken up - she seemed to be unaware of the whole world. He'd seen her like this before, usually when she was reading a book or making a potion or trying to figure something out. This was, however, the first time he'd seen her at something non-academic. He was surprised. He wouldn't have associated her with music; he would have expected her to be reading or something. Like her domestic skills, this was also out of the blue.

Her playing slowed and notes grew softer and softer until she finally stopped. She sat and stared at the music sheets infront of her for a second before smiling softly to herself.

"You play the piano?" he asked, getting up and walking over, stopping about a meter away.

She started at his voice and turned to look at him. "Yes," she responded. She turned back to the piano and glanced at him timidly. "Ever since I was a child. My parents believed that music helps people grow and develop. Their minds, I mean." Looking for something to do, she nervously swept all of her hair over right shoulder, leaving the left side of her neck bare and exposed to him. "I placed a charm so that you wouldn't hear me or the rain while you were asleep..."

His eyes suddenly focussed on her neck and his gaze trailed from her neck and jawline down to her shoulders... "What were you just playing?" he asked, trying to keep his thoughts straight as his eyes ran over her.

"The piano solo out of Eternal by Amy Lee and Evanescence," she replied, shuffling the music, nervously.

She had changed after he'd fallen asleep. She'd gotten rid of her black pants and creamy blouse for a light blue summer dress. It had a V-neck that, while it didn't plunge down scandalously, still went low... The material clung to her, outlining her breasts, her flat stomach, her long legs... He didn't notice her glance at him again to catch him eyeing her.

Hermione's lips quirked a little and she placed the music back on the stand before looking at him out of the corner of her eye. "Will you stand there and watch all day, or...?" She boldly moved on the seat so that she was fully facing him.

Severus didn't need to be asked twice. He wordlessly stepped in front of her, and got down on one knee. Still, the top of his head came up to her nose. He looked up at her, searching her eyes for a second and delved into her mind. As soon as he did, he realized that she knew occlumency, but all walls were down. He also learned quickly what she wanted him to do. Leaving her mind, he focussed on her lips... They were pink and looked so soft and delicious...

Sliding one hand behind her head, he pulled her a little closer before reaching up and softly, but firmly pressing his lips to hers. Electric jolts seemed to run through both of them at contact, and both pulled two centimeters away and studied each other for a second. All of a sudden, she had wrapped her arms around his neck and he placed his other hand on the small of her back before kissing her again. This one lasted longer and he, to Hermione's relief, had taken the lead once again. She only responded to him as he kissed her...

She loved the way his mouth moved over hers - he kissed her like no other man ever had. Along with soft presses of his lips against hers, he also had a habit of giving her little licks and sometimes, small nips. His bites weren't so hard - just enough to make her gasp into his mouth at the small sting. He used his teeth to bring her lower lip into his mouth before gently sucking on it for a few second. She moaned into his mouth and he smirked.

His lips left her mouth to kiss her jawline. When his lips moved over her pulse, he gave the skin a small lick before gently biting down on it, invoking a gasp of pleasure from her...

She arched her back, giving him more access to her throat and he trailed small butterfly kisses down it to her chest. As he did, he felt her grab a fistful of his hair in excitement and edged on by this, he took his hand from the back of her head and brought it to her breasts. He started massaging them through her dress and it soon became apparant that she wasn't wearing a bra. He was pleasantly surprised by this as he soon rubbed her right nipple erect through the fabric.

He glanced up at her then, and seeing no signs of reluctance in her, started sliding her spagetti straps down her shoulders. She didn't do anything to help him but that was because her fingers were running along the collar of his robes.

He slid her dress down to reveal her breasts, which were pert, and while they weren't overtly large, they weren't small either. He started massaging and licking her breasts, cruelly avoiding her nipples and she whimpered in want. He gave her a wicked smirk before finally, infuriatingly gently, brushed his thumb over her right nipple.

She writhed for a second, but then cringed away from him. He thought she have had second thoughts but then she looked at him with dazed eyes. "Bed..." She murmured. "I'll... apparate..." She wrapped her arms around his neck and the world started spinning around them.

When their surroundings solidified, Severus found himself standing, Hermione in his arms, standing in front of him. The first thing Severus noticed was the large four poster bed with cream and brown sheets just behind her. He knew for a fact that they were now in the ever important master bedroom, but didn't even think about looking around the room. He didn't notice anything else as his eyes were fixed to the brunette goddess in front of him.

Hermione gave him a flushed, albeit teasing smile as she pulled away from him and turned around to the bed, where she got down on her hands and knees to start crawling to the other side. Before she could, however, his arms were around her waist, and he pulled her back to him. She briefly felt his erection against the back of her thigh before she turned around and allowed him to slip her dress down her legs and off her, bringing her royal blue lingerie with it. He unceremoniously threw her dress and underwear to the floor before bringing her now nude body to his and kissing her deeply.

When they broke apart, he noticed her running her fingers along his collar again. He said nothing and opted to nibble on her earlobe as she undid his robes and slid it off his shoulders. She then started on his shirt, but her fingers were trembling in excitement and he helped her unbutton it before throwing it off. She traced the outline of a few scars on his chest before letting her lips run the same course. Though he liked the feeling, Severus was getting a little impatient and pushed her onto her back on the bed.

He lay over her and gave her a short peck on the lips. She was about to kiss him back when she suddenly felt him run a finger down her slit. She gasped and bit her lower lip, feeling herself growing wetter by the second. He gave her an evil smirk before pushing one finger into her, making her groan out loud.

Severus resisted the urge to take her now - she was incredibly hot and wet, and so damn _tight_. She looked up at him pleadingly, but he decided to tease her a while longer... Without warning, he pushed another finger into her and she shut her eyes, moaning louder. He then started fingerfucking her, starting slowly before increasing his pace, making Hermione twist beneath him. Just as she was about to come against his hand, he stopped moving.

Hermione gasped for a second, disappointed that he'd stopped. Suddenly she whimpered, "Severus... Please..."

"Please what, angel?" he asked, huskily. If his mind hadn't been clouded by lust, he would have stopped for a second to wonder why he just called her that. "Did you want something?" Before she could respond, he flicked her clitoris with his thumb and she cried out.

She looked up at him, eyes glazed. "Please - I need you in me," she gasped.

"Is that so?" he asked, his voice almost mocking. He flicked her clitoris again, making her scream and throw her arms around his neck. Edged on by her soft whimpering, he quickly released his throbbing member from his pants and without warning, entered her with one thrust.

She cried out a little and he felt her arms tighten around his neck, and he didn't move more a second - she small and tight, and he was more than ten inches and quite thick. He was surprised she didn't scream in pain when he'd entered. He thought he would give her a few seconds to get used to his size, but she writhed beneath him and that sent him over the edge - he started hammering her, making her cry out loud in pleasure. It wasn't long before an orgasm hit her and her muscles clenched around him, bringing him with her.

When it subsided, he moved to lay down beside her. They lay still for a few moments, and he used that moment to study her. Her curls were played all over the pillow, her cheeks were flushed... All of a sudden, she turned to look at him. Her eyes were timid, but there was a small quirk at the corner of her mouth before she turned away again. Smirking a little, he went to kiss her again...

Round two...

xXxXx

When Severus awoke again, he felt Hermione's breath against his chest before he saw her. Her whole body was pressed up against his and his arm was wrapped firmly around her waist. He didn't realize at first that she was awake, because the top of her head had been tucked under his chin, but she ducked her head out and looked up at him. She didn't skip a moment before giving him a soft smile and murmuring 'good morning.'

He gave her a small and rather sardonic smirk in reply. "I still don't have my memory back," he stated.

"Oh," Hermione said. For a half a second, she looked disappointed before quickly covering it up. "It should come back. Give it time. Besides, you seem to remember some things. Or things that are just in habit. Like biting me here." She moved a finger over her neck where her pulse can be detected. "Or calling me angel - you did that sometimes. Once in while."

As pleased as he was with this information - despite the fact that he would allow himelf to call her angel even once in a while - Severus eyed her. "Last night didn't bother you at all?" he asked. Confusion washed over her amber eyes. "You do realize that whatever you may have had with me is gone. I still see you as the girl I was teaching just the other day. I don't have any feelings for you - except, of course, lust." He looked her over. "Doesn't that bother you?"

"Should it?" Hermione asked. "You know, this is how it started. Between us, I mean. Physical, with nothing emotional attached. Just sex." She bit the side of her tongue on her lie. Sure, it was only physical. For him. But she didn't feel comfortable telling him that.

"While you were in school?" he asked, apprehensively.

She shook her head. "No. About a month after I graduated."

"Hm," he stated. "Good. That would have been dangerous. And incredibly stupid."

She actually gave him a smile at that. "Actually, we've done stupider."

The Potions Master eyed her, intrigued. "Do tell."

The smile promptly fell off Hermione's face. "Are you sure?" she asked, hesitantly.

"I must try to remember things, mustn't I?" he asked. "Tell me."

Hermione snuggled into the pillow, seeming to make herself more comfortable. Her eyes left his and she stared off into a distance, as she remembered. "There was this one time... During a battle." Her eyes snapped back to his incredulous face to see his reaction.

"During a battle," Severus stated. "We left our side to fend for themselves to shag?"

Hermione looked away again. "Sides."

"Pardon?"

"Sides," she repeated. "We left our sides. You were a spy then, remember? You were on the Death Eaters side." She timidly met his eyes again.

Severus looked at her in disbelief. "Please tell me what happened. I'm dying to know."

Hermione looked off to the distance again, and her lip quirked a little. "They'd planned a surprise attack in a little village called Virgo. You'd warned us about it, of course. So the Order sent a few members up there for defense. Our group was split up in the fights. I caught myself between two Death Eaters and lost my wand. Not before giving one a good limp, though - I found out later, he got captured because I broke his ankle, making it hard for him to apparate well. Anyways, he collapsed, but the other one was still good and healthy. So... I called forth my Gryffindor characteristics. After invoking every brave and courageous fibre in my body - I took off."

"Ah," Severus stated. And he would come gallopping in on a white horse to save the day... The idea - so cliched - didn't appeal to him, but he let Hermione go on.

"Anyways, he chased me into an old house and raped me."

Severus thought he should feel something about her getting raped by a Death Eater, but like when he'd found out that he had amnesia, he felt nothing. He also felt nothing about his failure to save her... He waited for her to continue, but she didn't. She simply turned to him, eye-brows raised, clearly waiting for a response.

Severus blinked. "And... I came in... When?"

Hermione looked taken aback. "Oh, didn't I mention? It was you."

Severus stopped short and thought he'd felt something just then. He then gave her an oddly comtemplative look.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Merlin, I wish I remembered that..."

xXxXxXxXx

A/N

Creatress - Hey guys!! Hope you all enjoyed. Bit slow, I'll give you that - things'll get verrrry _interesting_ next chapter when Severus starts thinking things that he only thought as a Death Eater... Uh oh.

REVIEW!!!


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